Strategy in TECH...
Netgear announced that it has received conditional approval on its routers from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This approval from regulators, the company says, means that dealers and consumers can rest assured that it is safe to buy, sell, and use Netgear routers which are now exempt from the recently announced ban on foreign-made routers by the U.S. government.
Who else has received FCC conditional approval?
Sound United brand Denon, now part of Harman International Industries, Inc., which itself is part of Samsung Electronics, has launched a new audio/video receiver (AVR) called the AVR-S980H that seeks to deliver an uncommon blend of audio excellence with simple, intuitive setup, and ease-of-use, along with flexibility and configurability to meet the varied needs of today’s consumers. The announcement sets a high bar, but the features and specs of the new Denon AVR-S980H suggest it clears that bar with ease.
On Tuesday, we learned that Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is laying off hundreds of employees from its film studio, TV studios, and division HQ, according to a report in the Hollywood Reporter (HR). The reason behind the company’s move is said to be an effort by CEO Ravi Ahuja to refocus the company on “certain core growth areas, while pulling back in other places.”
In a huge deal between two power tech players – Japan’s Sony Corporation and China’s TCL Electronics Holding Limited – TCL is set to become the majority owner of Bravia, Inc., a new holding company that will consist of Sony’s TV and audio business units. It is a deal that may ripple through the industry, as other brands may seek to mimic Sony’s move to jettison its hardware properties in order to transform themselves into a more profitable software, content, and services company.
This week, I ran across yet another in a long line of critical articles about the unreliability of Smart Home technology. This one, from the New York Times, stings a little more, as it updates the well-worn path of complaints about home automation technologies, with a still-uncomplimentary perspective on new A.I.-enabled versions. The blunt conclusion: the Smart Home “Still Doesn’t Work.”
AudioControl announced today the launch of the all-new Hyperion Series line of high-performance home theater products. This Hyperion Series is a completely updated line that builds upon AudioControl’s decades of experience in innovative high-performance audio system design, combined with sister company AVPro Edge’s cutting-edge video capabilities and system networking expertise.
The resulting redesigned Hyperion Series – a dramatic departure from past AudioControl designs – looks, feels, and I’m sure sounds like what might be one of the most contemporary high-performance home theater lines on the market today.
In a move that has some of Strata-gee’s sources perplexed and scratching their heads, high-end commercial and pro video projector and display manufacturer Barco (Euronext: BAR) announced this week that it has reached an agreement in principle to acquire VerVent Audio Holding (“VerVent” and “Vervent”). VerVent itself was created by the merger of French loudspeaker maker Focal and British high-performance audio electronics manufacturer NAIM some years ago.
Savant Systems, Inc. announced today that it has added Silent Gliss, a Swiss manufacturer of precision window treatments, to its Recommended Partner Program. Silent Gliss was founded in 1952, and Savant says it has been “a leading global manufacturer of precision window treatment solutions since it introduced the world’s first silent curtain track system” then.
The government is normally a very reliable source of key economic data. Lately, however, it has been thrown into a bit of disarray ever since the first government shutdown, and now again into a second partial shutdown, causing a delay in the delivery of its reports. In any event, we now have December 2025 residential construction data, which shows an increase in housing starts compared to November. However, December’s starts remain below the rate set in December 2024. Starts for the full year of 2025 dropped for single-family and overall starts.
WiiM, maker of a line of digital audio and streaming products that make a premium high-fidelity audio experience accessible to all, announced today that it is dramatically expanding its salesforce network in the U.S. It is doing this via the addition of at least six new independent manufacturer representative firms across the country.
